The Kitsune Tales: Adventures in Highschool
by InuKagFan1221
Summary: These are stories I've made up about Kitsune, my character who is Shippou's mom, and Miwa, myfoxy bishie boy. In HIGHSCHOOL. *in the 1st chapter, Miwa is supposed to have GREEN EYES and LONGISH BLACK HAIR* Kitsune/Miwa
1. A Night to Remember

A Night To Remember  
  
Amidst a bed of flowers, Miwa drew Kitsune into his arms and declared, "Kitsune, you  
  
look exquisite."  
  
She blushed at the intense gaze that swept over her. "Oh, Miwa."  
  
He drew her nearer, his eyes closing slowly. "Kitsune, how many times do I have to  
  
repeat myself?"  
  
She was jerked back to reality at the last remark, the traces of her daydream  
  
disappearing as she looked up to see Ms. Serrao glaring at her, a vein   
  
threatening to pop out of her forehead. Kitsune could almost see the lightning  
  
bolts flashing behind her teacher's back as her voice thundered over the room. "Your  
  
mind is obviously somewhere else, Kitsune, and I will not tolerate such behavior  
  
in my class!"  
  
But before she could open her mouth to apologize, the bell rang. Ms. Serrao shook  
  
a finger in the air. "We're not done yet, young lady." But the warning was drowned  
  
by the rush of students that filed out of the classroom. Kitsune heaved a sigh  
  
of relief. From the corner of her eye, she noticed the object of her affection  
  
walking away.  
  
Her best friend Kirara joined her. "Don't tell me you were daydreaming about your  
  
Prince Charming again," her friend teased.  
  
Kitsune flashed a guilty smile. Ever since she met Miwa at the start of the  
  
year, he was all she could think about. At first, she was drawn by his attractive  
  
features -- his sparkling amber eyes, his striking silver hair. She felt  
  
so warm inside when he first smiled at her, and she could swear that the world was  
  
brightened by the twinkle in his eyes. But when they were recently paired as  
  
Chemistry lab partners, she fell even more in love with his gentle, thoughtful  
  
side. Once when she was sick, Miwa visited her house and brought her their  
  
homework. Another time when she accidentally broke her beaker, he slid it over  
  
to his side, just in time to catch the ire of their lab teacher about damaging  
  
school property. When Kitsune tried to speak up, he discreetly placed a hand  
  
on her arm and stopped her. His mere touch was enough to silence her.  
  
But even though Kirara knew that she was in love, Kitsune didn't dare  
  
tell her friend with whom. She was a bit reluctant that her friend would tease her  
  
to death, or worse, do something like deliver him to her bound and gagged.  
  
"So, has this mystery guy asked you to the prom yet?" Kirara asked.  
  
Kitsune shook her head. "No, and I don't think that he's taking anyone else."  
  
Kirara scowled. "What is he, gay?" At the murderous look that Kitsune gave her,  
  
she backed off. "Okay, okay. But what are you going to do? The prom's tomorrow  
  
night! You can't wait for him to take action, you have to invite him yourself!"  
  
Kitsune paled at the thought. "I couldn't do that! He might think I was too forward.  
  
Besides, you're one to talk. I don't hear you telling me that you have a date for  
  
tomorrow."  
  
Her friend placed a hand over her mouth and laughed. Kirara had a very disturbing  
  
laugh, the sound echoing through the halls. "Ohohohohoho!" Then she winked. "You've  
  
been so secretive lately that I decided to teach you a lesson. So my date is for me  
  
to know and for you to find out."  
  
By this time, they had reached the cafeteria. Kirara, who always brought lunch from  
  
home, went to look for a table while Kitsune got in line to buy her food. As she  
  
debated on getting what appeared to be baked macaroni, she felt someone standing  
  
close to her. Too close. Kitsune turned to discover Miwa there, holding a lunch tray  
  
in his hands.  
  
"Hi," he greeted her with a smile. Kitsune could feel the blush coloring her cheeks  
  
as she returned the greeting.  
  
Complete silence. As the line moved on, they both got the macaroni and a drink. But  
  
Kitsune was nervous. Inwardly, she cursed herself for being so flustered when he was  
  
around. Then she remembered what Kirara told her, that unless she took matters  
  
into her own hands, she might end up alone on prom night. "Uh, Miwa," she began.  
  
Then stopped and took a deep breath. "Uhm, are you going? Uh, tomorrow night? To  
  
the prom, I mean?"  
  
He nodded, a slight blush on his face.  
  
They were near the counter now. This was it. She had to find out. "Uhm, so who are  
  
you taking?"  
  
Miwa opened his mouth to reply, but the entire basketball team chose that exact  
  
moment to cut through the line on their way to the gym. Kitsune sweatdropped. A  
  
moment later, she gasped when she saw Miwa lying on the ground, his macaroni  
  
on the ground, his eyes swirling around in confusion. He looked well, semi-deformed.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
He was up in a second. "Yes, I'm fine. But I think I'd better go and have this mess  
  
cleaned up." He refused to look her in the eyes. "I guess I'll catch you later."  
  
Then without another word or a backward glance, he walked away. It was only when he  
  
was gone from sight did Kitsune realize that he didn't answer her question.  
  
The rest of her day was uneventful. In Chemistry class, they had an exam so there  
  
was no way that she could continue their conversation. But it was after school when  
  
she had the shock of her life. She was fixing her blouse in one of the bathroom  
  
stalls when a pair of girls walked in and started talking. "That new guy Miwa  
  
is so hot," one of them said.  
  
Kitsune perked up at the remark, feeling her fox ears popping out of her head  
  
as she strained to hear what they were saying.  
  
"I know," the other girl agreed. "It's a shame he's taking someone to the prom."  
  
"Really?" the first girl asked, and Kitsune nearly spoke the same word at loud.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Didn't you hear? He's taking Kirara!"  
  
Kitsune's life was over as she felt an anvil drop on her.  
  
***  
  
Of course she was still alive, but Kitsune really felt like dying. Miwa and  
  
Kirara? It wasn't fair! As she tossed and turned in her sleep, she couldn't help  
  
but glance at the dress she was supposed to wear for tomorrow. It was in her  
  
favorite shade of purple and Kirara had even helped her pick it out. They had  
  
planned on going together in case they didn't find dates, but Kitsune was  
  
sure that hanging out with her friends was a fun way to spend the night. But now,  
  
how can she go? How can she even face them?  
  
Needless to say, her sleepless state didn't go unnoticed. Kirara shot her a  
  
worried glance when they met during homeroom. "Are you okay? You don't seem to be  
  
too excited about tonight."  
  
Kitsune managed a small smile. Technically, she wasn't allowed to feel jealous --  
  
after all, Kirara never knew that she was deeply in love with Miwa.  
  
There was no reason to worry her friend. "Just a little under the weather. It's  
  
nothing," she assured her.  
  
From across the room, she felt someone eyes on them. Kitsune raised her head  
  
to see Miwa looking at her with a concerned expression. Maybe he saw Kirara  
  
looking worried so he was curious. In any case, Kitsune didn't think that she  
  
could stand looking at his beautiful amber eyes a moment longer. She tore her  
  
gaze away. "Listen, about tonight..."  
  
But her friend was already chatting away. "I'm still going to go over to your place to  
  
dress up, remember? I'll have my mom drop off my dress later. We're going to have so  
  
much fun, I promise! I've already taken care of our ride and all, so you don't have to  
  
worry about anything."  
  
"What about your date?" Kitsune asked bluntly. She wanted to ask her about  
  
Miwa, but she couldn't just find the words. She wanted Kirara to be the one to  
  
volunteer the information.  
  
Kirara casually waved her question away. "Don't you worry about that, I've already  
  
fixed my plans. Hey, I'm bringing a whole bunch of nail polish for you to try on. I  
  
think I have just the right color to match your dress. And Mom lent me her pearl  
  
necklace to wear--"  
  
Kitsune tuned her friend out, not caring anymore. It was nice to see Kirara  
  
excited but in truth, it hurt her that she was the one that Miwa liked.  
  
And yet she couldn't stay away. If she did, her friend might suspect something. And  
  
more importantly, Kitsune realized that she couldn't walk away from him. If he only  
  
saw her as a friend then that was enough for her.  
  
***  
  
"You look beautiful!" Kirara exclaimed as Kitsune twirled around in her gown.  
  
Even if she felt depressed, putting the dress on lifted her spirits a little bit.  
  
She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Was that really her? The smooth satin  
  
clung to whatever curves she had before pooling into soft folds at her feet. It   
  
was designed to look like a dress from ancient Greece, the one goddesses were often  
  
depicted as wearing. One shoulder held a curtain of chiffon while the other was left  
  
bare, emphasizing her glowing skin. What would Miwa say if he saw her in this?  
  
But Kitsune had no time to worry as Kirara began applying makeup on her. "Thanks  
  
for the compliment, but don't fuss over me, please. I can do this by myself. Besides,"  
  
here she swallowed the lump in her throat, "your date might be here any moment now  
  
and you haven't even fixed your hair."  
  
Then the doorbell rang. Kirara let out a short shriek. "He's here! Kitsune,  
  
would you mind letting him in while I fix myself up. You're already good to go.  
  
I promise I won't take long." Before Kitsune could protest, Kirara had  
  
already pushed her out of her own room.  
  
Kitsune felt her chest tighten. He was going to see her now, of all times, but  
  
she didn't think her heart could stand the pain. Still, she squared her shoulders  
  
and went down to open the door.  
  
Miwa stood at her doorstep, looking so breathtakingly handsome in a black tux.  
  
He gave her a shy smile. "I've come to pick up my date."  
  
"Kirara's still upstairs, you'll have to wait--" Kitsune made a move to get  
  
her friend but she stopped when Miwa suddenly grabbed her wrist and held on to  
  
it firmly. With his free hand he handed her a corsage of one pure white orchid.  
  
Kitsune looked confused. Her heart was pounding so loudly she was afraid he  
  
could hear. "What's going on?"  
  
"I'm taking you to the prom, Kitsune," he replied.  
  
"But I thought you and Kirara--"  
  
He shook his head. "She was just kind enough to help me set up this date. I didn't  
  
have the guts to ask you to your face because I was afraid you would reject  
  
me. Which is funny, because before you, I was never afraid of rejection at all.  
  
But Kirara kept assuring me that it would work out in the end, but I guess I  
  
didn't believe her. I hope you're not mad that we went through this."  
  
She could only stare at him in surprise at each word. She couldn't believe what  
  
she was hearing. "Of course I'm not mad."  
  
Miwa took a step closer. "I really like you, Kitsune, and I think you like  
  
me too?" He turned the statement into a question, standing there like a shy  
  
little boy.  
  
Kitsune closed the distance between them. "Yes, I guess I do," she murmured.  
  
He took her into his arms. "Have I ever told you that you look exquisite?"  
  
She smiled. Yes, she wanted to tell him. But this time, it was no longer a dream. 


	2. Walking Home

Walking Home  
  
Disclaimer: I own these charactors, nothing else...  
  
Kitsune went straight to the big sakura tree near the school gates right after  
  
swimming practice, worried that she was late, only to find Miwa sleeping peacefully.  
  
Inwardly, she had to smile. At moments like this, she couldn't help but simply  
  
sigh and take in the sweet resting figure of her childhood friend. It was seldom  
  
that people saw Miwa so unguarded like this. Usually, he was on the edge, alertly  
  
ready to crack a joke or pick a fight. He was always so prickly and loud that when  
  
Kitsune defended him, saying he's a sweet boy, people just gave her weird looks.  
  
But then, what did they know? She knew Miwa best after all. Miwa was the first face  
  
that welcomed her when she moved here with her parents. She was six years old then,  
  
a crybaby. She would sit in the park near their home, quietly clutching a rag doll,  
  
wanting to join the other kids but too shy to do so. Some of the kids would smile  
  
at her, but none would formally ask her to join them.  
  
One time, excitedly wanting to join them, she brought with her a bag of sweets from  
  
Hokkaido that her dad bought her. She was so eager to gain their approval that she  
  
waved the bag of sweets to the other kids. To her surprise, a bunch of bigger boys  
  
approached her. They reached out their hands asking for the sweets, but when they  
  
had finished it all and she had none more to give, they started picking on her,  
  
pulling her pig tails, teasing her, pushing the swing she was sitting on higher  
  
and higher until she was too terrified to cry. Holding on for dear life, she just  
  
closed her eyes tightly, afraid that if she opened them, she'd fall.  
  
In the midst of her terror, she realized that the swing had stopped shaking and  
  
the teasing had stopped. She gingerly opened her eyes, and saw a boy with longish  
  
black hair, fists raised at the bigger boys. She watched the silver haired boy taunt  
  
the other boys, all bigger than him. Finally, when the other boys retreated, the  
  
boy faced her. Only then did she realize that the boy was looking extra dirty and  
  
extremely disheveled. He had fought the other boys for her! She stared at the boy  
  
who stared back at her. For some reason or another, the tears, which refused to  
  
fall earlier, were threatening to fall now.  
  
"Hey, stop crying, snot-face!" the boy said. He reached into his pocket and pulled  
  
out a small foil-wrapped candy. "Here," he offered her. "I know they took all of  
  
your candy." He smiled at her, and he made a funny sight, with the rumpled hair,  
  
soiled face and gap toothed grin. "My name's Miwa."  
  
Kitsune's reverie was broken when Miwa yawned and cocked open an eye. She smiled  
  
embarrassedly at being caught watching him. Hoping she wasn't blushing, she sat  
  
beside Miwa.  
  
"Have you been waiting long?" Miwa grabbed her wrist to check the time. Kitsune  
  
tensed at his touch. "Nah, just around half an hour. Been sleeping the whole time  
  
though." He lifted his arms and leaned back on the tree, his head propped on his  
  
hands.  
  
"I thought you had kendo practice today?"  
  
Miwa smiled at her. "I skipped it."  
  
"You skipped again? Won't Amawa-sempai get angry? It's the third time this week  
  
that you skipped club practice!" Kitsune had to shake her head at Miwa's  
  
laid-backness. It was just like him to skip club.  
  
"Well, the inter-high is over anyway," Miwa closed his eyes again. "Why do I  
  
have to train extra hard?" Despite his laid back attitude, Miwa was quite  
  
athletic, and was a prized member of the kendo club, if only he could be  
  
convinced to attend. Miwa opened one eye. "What about you? Swimming practice  
  
over?"  
  
Kitsune nodded. "Yeah. Saeki-sempai went a bit crazy today and really pushed  
  
us. I'm dead tired."  
  
Miwa nodded. He leaned close to Kitsune, making her heart beat a little faster.  
  
"No wonder," he moved in even closer, so Kitsune had to hold her breath. "Kitsune,"  
  
Miwa said breathily, "you stink."  
  
"MIWA-NO-BAKA!!!" Miwa lay sprawled under the tree, not knowing what hit  
  
him. Kitsune stood up, putting her inter-dimensional hammer away, while trying  
  
to calm down the nerves which suddenly sprouted on her forehead. "Come on. If  
  
you don't get ready in five minutes, I'm leaving you!"  
  
Miwa was suddenly by her side, grumbling. "Uptight chick, can't take a joke..."  
  
Kitsune glared at him. Miwa stared back. He reached out his hand, then messed  
  
up her semi-wet hair and smiled. "You're so cute when you're pissed you know..."  
  
Kitsune quickly turned away, worried that he might see her blush, and quickly  
  
walked away.  
  
"...NOT!" Miwa almost fell on his back laughing. More nerves broke out on the  
  
back of Kitsune's head. Quickly, she turned and glared at him again, this time,  
  
with a red battle aura enveloping her. Seeing how serious she was this time, he  
  
quickly muffled his laughter and grabbed his bag and chased after her.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Why do we have to go extra-early today anyway?" Miwa asked Kitsune on their  
  
way to school. Sleep was still clouding his eyes, and he was barely keeping up  
  
with Kitsune's cheerful gait.  
  
Kitsune looked back at him, with her arms propped against her hips. "Come on,  
  
sleepy head! It's a lovely morning! I feel so energized." She did a small mock  
  
pirouette which ended in a curtsy. Blushing a little when she realized how silly  
  
she looked, she went to her companion's side and grabbed his arm. Miwa was  
  
suddenly alert and shrugged her off. Not withstanding that, Kitsune grabbed his  
  
arm again and snuggled against him.  
  
"It's such a lovely morning," she said in a sing-song voice, dragging the  
  
protesting Miwa along. When school was in sight though, she suddenly stopped,  
  
and looked at Miwa. "Tell you what. I brought an extra bento today," she  
  
gestured to her bag. "I'll let you have it, if you can race me to the school gate,"  
  
and with that, she took off.  
  
Not to be defeated, Miwa quickly gathered his wits and ran toward the gate,  
  
trying to catch up to Kitsune. He was just a few paces away from her when he  
  
realized that she was sprawled on the ground.  
  
"Kitsune, daijobou ka? What happened?" Kitsune looked up to him, hair slightly  
  
askew, tangled in a mess of arms and legs with a boy he hadn't seen before.  
  
"Ara! Gomen nasai!" Bowing to the boy, she tried to straighten up. "It was my fault,  
  
if I wasn't racing the baka here," she pointed to Miwa, "I wouldn't have hit you.  
  
Gomen nasai!"  
  
The boy smiled a devastatingly handsome smile. "Iie, it's my fault. If I simply  
  
looked where I was going, it wouldn't have happened. Gomen nasai." The boy stood up,  
  
and brushed his clothes off. Smiling again, he went off to the school gates, leaving  
  
a confused Kitsune.  
  
"Daijobou ka?" Kitsune blinked her eyes and saw Miwa staring at her curiously. "I'm  
  
all right, don't worry, I don't think anything's broken."  
  
"That's a relief. About that bento---" suddenly, he rushed to the school gate,  
  
stopping only when he had entered. "I think I won it!"  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
"But I won!" Miwa argued, as he walked in the hall beside Kitsune, on their way  
  
to class.  
  
"No. You CHEATED. Cheater. You're not even getting near the bento." She just  
  
loved teasing Miwa, especially when it came to food. Food was something Miwa  
  
held sacred, so she knew that withholding food from him was the best way to annoy him.  
  
And he looked so cute when he was annoyed.  
  
"Come on, Kitsune-CHAN," he said, while opening the classroom door for her.  
  
Kitsune's eyebrow shot up. "you didn't say anything about a time-out. You can't  
  
blame me for running. Besides, you can't waste a perfectly good bento---" Just as  
  
Kitsune guessed, this was about food.  
  
"Well, I'm pretty hungry today, I can eat for two---" Kitsune was cut off mid-sentence  
  
when their teacher entered the classroom. Everyone stopped chattering and rushed to  
  
their seats.  
  
"Okay class, before we start today's lesson, I have an announcement to make."  
  
Kishimoto-sensei went to the door and slid it open to admit a tall, strikingly  
  
handsome, bespectacled boy. "Class, this is your new classmate, he just transferred  
  
from Kanagawa. Hitoshi-kun," Kishimoto-sensei turned to the boy, "please introduce  
  
yourself."  
  
The boy nodded, then turned to the class. "Ohayo gozaimasu! I am Wataru Hitoshi.  
  
We just moved here, from Kanagawa, because my father was reassigned for work. I  
  
like sports a lot, and I look forward to joining the kendo club."  
  
"Okay, Hitoshi-kun," Kishimoto-sensei looked around the room and gestured to the  
  
empty seat beside Kitsune. "You can take that seat beside Kitsune-chan. Now  
  
class, open your books to page 78--"  
  
Hitoshi smiled at Kitsune, as he took his seat. "Ohayo. So, your name's Kitsune?"  
  
He pushed his glasses up his nose. "Hope you weren't hurt this morning." Startled,  
  
Kitsune looked up, and saw that she was staring at the same bright blue eyes she  
  
was staring into this morning.  
  
"Oh, it's you! I didn't recognize you with the glasses." Kitsune felt someone tap  
  
her shoulder from behind. "Ahem," Miwa leaned forward, "I think we're supposed to  
  
pay attention in class." Kitsune blushed, then smiled at Hitoshi apologetically.  
  
She'll have to talk to him later.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
"I can't believe this," Kitsune declared to her new classmate, Hitoshi. "You  
  
just put your glasses on and I barely recognize you."  
  
"It's all right," he said, smiling that devastating smile again. "Actually, I  
  
bumped into you this morning because I forgot to wear my glasses. I'm sort of  
  
near-sighted, but thankfully, I remembered you. Quite hard to forget a cute girl."  
  
He winked at her. He actually winked!  
  
Kitsune blushed, and rushed to pull out the two bento from her bag. She looked up  
  
to Hitoshi. "Hey, did you bring lunch?" she asked him. "Because if you didn't..."  
  
He stood from his chair and nodded. "Iie, it's all right. I figured I'd buy lunch  
  
from the cafeteria, like I always did at my old school. Might as well get used to  
  
this school's cafeteria." He smiled again, and made his way out of the room. "Ja ne!"  
  
Kitsune stared at him on his way out, disbelieving that such a handsome guy would  
  
actually think she was cute. She slightly blushed at the memory, only to be stopped  
  
by the sound of someone clearing his throat. "Ahem---"  
  
"See, I'm sort of near-sighted, but I can never forget a cute girl. Aaaaakkk---"  
  
Miwa imitated Hitoshi, then ended up gagging. Kitsune glared at him, frozen  
  
daggers forming from her gaze. Miwa cowered a bit, then moved his desk beside hers.  
  
"Aw, all right. I won't pick on him." He took his seat and grabbed the other bento  
  
on Kitsune's desk. "But you have to admit, he's such a smooth operator," he said,  
  
opening the bento.  
  
"Just because someone's being nice, it doesn't mean he has an ulterior motive."  
  
Kitsune said, clearly miffed at Miwa's snide remarks. It was useless though,  
  
since Miwa was already busy attacking the food she prepared. Kitsune sighed as  
  
she realized how pointless it was to talk to Miwa sometimes, and turned to pay  
  
attention to her food instead.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Kitsune stood by the sakura tree after swimming practice, waiting for Miwa. It  
  
was quite unusual for him to be late, because a). he usually skipped practice,  
  
b). he left practice early, or c). he refused to stay longer than he usually had to.  
  
She took a seat at the base of the tree, and leaned back, prepared to wait for him.  
  
Not five minutes had passed when someone called out her name.  
  
"Kitsune-chan!" she looked up to see Hitoshi jogging to the tree from the direction  
  
of the gym. "Fancy seeing you here. Waiting for someone?" he asked, right before  
  
taking a seat beside her.  
  
"Actually, I am. I'm waiting for Miwa. We usually go home together." She tried  
  
not to blush at Hitoshi's attention. No matter how you looked at it, Hitoshi was  
  
really cute.  
  
"Ah, Miwa," he said, leaning back on the tree. "Yeah, I think I saw him at  
  
kendo practice earlier," he remarked, surprising Kitsune.  
  
"You joined the kendo club?"  
  
Hitoshi nodded at her surprised reaction. "But I thought you were near-sighted?"  
  
"Hai! But I can wear contacts, right? I'm wearing a pair now."  
  
Suddenly, Kitsune was aware of his sparkling eyes again. She shook her head  
  
quickly, trying to get rid of any untoward thoughts about the sparkling blue eyes  
  
and dazzling smile of the person beside her. "Ah, but wait," she said, trying to  
  
change the topic. "You were at kendo practice?" When he nodded, she continued.  
  
"Did you ditch? Or is it over already?"  
  
"Well, we were let out around 20 minutes ago. I took a quick shower then I was  
  
going home until I ran into you here."  
  
"That's weird," Kitsune mused. "You sure you saw Miwa at practice? He usually  
  
doesn't take more than 10 minutes to shower." Hitoshi suddenly looked thoughtful.  
  
"Oh yeah, I think I saw him. He left the locker room before I did, but I think  
  
he was talking to the team manager, Mami, uh, Mimi---"  
  
"Minami-san?" Kitsune supplied.  
  
"Yeah! That's it, Minami-san. I saw them talking just outside the gym doors."  
  
Kitsune's eyebrow shot up. "Nani desu ka?"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing. Just, I don't know. Weird, or something? See Miwa usually  
  
scampers out of the gym as soon as practice is over. It's not usual for him to  
  
loiter." Just then, Kitsune spotted Miwa rounding the bend from the gym. "Oh,  
  
there he is now," she said, her eyebrow shooting up even higher as she realized that  
  
someone, was walking side by side with him, with that someone's hand casually  
  
propped against his arm. AND he was making no effort to remove it!  
  
Miwa waved at her then ran to the sakura tree, leaving behind the pouting  
  
Minami. "Konnichiwa! Been waiting long?" he asked, suddenly stopping short when he  
  
realized that Hitoshi was seated beside Kitsune. "Come on, let's go home. Your  
  
okaa-san might get worried already," he said, then quickly took off in the direction  
  
of the school gate, with Minami trying to catch up. Kitsune quickly stood up and  
  
gestured good-bye to Hitoshi, then rushed to catch up to Miwa.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Sorry had to break up your little, 'love scene' with pretty boy there." Miwa  
  
said, sarcasm dripping from every word. Kitsune's eyebrow shot up, for the ninth  
  
time that day.  
  
"Excuse me. That wasn't a 'love scene'. Now Minami-chan hanging on to your arm,  
  
THAT was a 'love scene'," she retorted, surprised that Miwa was taken aback.  
  
"What love scene?! Mizuharu-san and I were only talking about the upcoming  
  
district meet!" Suddenly, a sinister smile blossomed on Miwa's face. "Don't  
  
tell me -- you were jealous!"  
  
"Excuse me! ME?! Jealous? Of you and Minami? Hah, don't make me laugh, maybe  
  
you're the one who's jealous, giving Hitoshi-kun the cold shoulder."  
  
"That pale patsy? Why should I be jealous? He can't even play decent kendo!"  
  
What do you see in that guy?"  
  
"Well, Hitoshi-kun's a whole lot nicer than some people I know, and he isn't a  
  
fawning groupie like your Minami!"  
  
"My Minami? My Minami? I suppose it's your Hitoshi?"  
  
"STOP!" Kitsune suddenly screamed. "What are we doing?"  
  
They both stopped talking and stared at each other. A bright red blush was starting  
  
to creep up both their faces so they quickly turned away from each other.  
  
"Walk faster will you?" Miwa broke the silence, after a few minutes of  
  
awkwardness. "I still have a TV show to catch." Kitsune tried to quicken her pace,  
  
looking down, refusing to say a word. She was much too worried of how her voice  
  
would sound if she talked.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Ohayo, Kitsune-chan!" greeted Hitoshi the next day before classes started.   
  
"Hope I didn't cause any trouble between you and Miwa," he said, gesturing to  
  
Miwa who was across the room, wiping the black board clean.  
  
"Ohayo, Hitoshi-kun! No trouble at all, what gave you the idea?" she asked.  
  
"Well, Miwa took off in a huff, and he wasn't quite happy to see me when I passed  
  
him in the hallway a few minutes ago." Hitoshi smiled. "I can tell when a guy's  
  
jealous, I have a girlfriend too, and I do know how I feel like when I see her  
  
laughing with some guy."  
  
Kitsune blushed. "Iie! It's nothing like that, Miwa and I are just friends.  
  
We've known each other since we were little, so we go home together."  
  
"Sure, if you say so," he replied, smiling a very enigmatic smile. Just then,  
  
Miwa slipped in his seat, giving Hitoshi the cold shoulder. Hitoshi gave Kitsune  
  
an even larger smile, then sat up straighter as the teacher entered the room.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Come on, you're taking too long! How many daikon are you going to go through  
  
before you finally pick one?" Miwa complained as Kitsune sifted through a bin  
  
of daikon, not in a small part to annoy Miwa. They were in the market district  
  
together, picking up some groceries for Kitsune's mom.  
  
"Well, unlike some people here, I try to pick only the best," she admonished.  
  
"Besides, who asked you to come along anyway?"  
  
"I thought we've been through this already. Your mom asked me to go with you,  
  
right? To help you carry the groceries? Besides, don't we always to this? You're  
  
usually a faster shopper," Miwa picked a daikon and put it in their grocery basket.  
  
"I think you're doing it on purpose! You're still pissed at me for the Hitoshi thing!"  
  
"I am not doing it on purpose!" she replied, returning the daikon Miwa picked  
  
to the bin, then resuming her quest for the perfect daikon. "Everything has to be  
  
perfect today, otou-san's returning from his business trip after two weeks, of course  
  
okaa-san and I are excited. We're preparing the best home cooked meal ever." Finally  
  
settling for one, she moved on to the next display stand, this time for tofu.  
  
"Why don't you just admit it that you're still pissed at me?" he asked, not paying  
  
attention at all to where he was going. As a result, he bumped into someone.  
  
"Gomen nasai!" he bowed, only to look up into Hitoshi's smiling face. Of course,  
  
Miwa was ready to pounce on him, if only he didn't notice the girl beside him.  
  
"Kitsune-chan, Miwa-kun," he said, "this my girlfriend, Satsuki. We've been  
  
together for close to three years now," he paused, giving Miwa a meaningful look.  
  
"Satsuki, these are my classmates, Kitsune and Miwa."  
  
"Konnichiwa!" Satsuki bowed. "It's nice to know that Hitoshi has made friends  
  
already. I visit him every once in a while, but it's still difficult, living far  
  
from here." She looked up at Hitoshi petulantly.  
  
"Ah, Satsuki-chan, we talked about this already, didn't we? I'm moving back there  
  
for college, then we can see each other as much as we want."  
  
Satsuki smiled widely, "Of course I can't help missing Hitoshi."  
  
Hitoshi smiled back at her, affection pouring from every pore of his being. Then  
  
he faced Kitsune and Miwa again. "Oh, we'll leave you two now, okay? We still  
  
have a lot of shopping to do. Ja matta!" he said, then walking off, hand in hand  
  
with Satsuki.  
  
For a few moments there, Miwa was shocked, whether from his mistake or from  
  
the very affectionate display he just witnessed, it was quite impossible to tell.  
  
Kitsune cleared her throat loudly. "It's easy to see that some people jump to  
  
too many conclusions, too quickly, and think the worse of others." Miwa looked  
  
crestfallen.  
  
"Uhm, ano, Kitsune?" Kitsune looked at him expectantly. "G-go-go-gomen nasai.  
  
Friends?" he offered his hand in a gesture of peace.   
  
"Oh, Miwa!" Kitsune squealed, then took Miwa's hand. "All right. You know  
  
I can never stay mad at you for long." Refusing to release his hand, she quickly  
  
dragged him to the tofu stand. "Come on, we have to rush, okaa-san still has to do  
  
the cooking after all."  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
It was such a happy day for Kitsune. Yesterday, she and Miwa finally patched  
  
up their misunderstanding so he was fun company again as they were going home from  
  
their shopping. Seeing Hitoshi with his girlfriend Satsuki really knocked the  
  
arrogance from Miwa, when he realized how mistaken he was. As a result, he was  
  
being extra attentive, and less critical of her. He even carried all of their  
  
groceries on the way home!  
  
Skipping cheerfully from the girls' locker room, she decided to surprise Miwa  
  
and meet him at the gym. As she rounded the bend, she heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Mizuharu-san..."  
  
"Iie, Miwa-kun! Let me finish," said a voice which Kitsune distinctly placed  
  
as the kendo club's manager. 'Miwa's with Minami!' she thought. Quickly,  
  
she hid herself from view, and strained to hear their conversation, amidst the  
  
frantic beating of her heart.  
  
"Miwa-kun! Minami has liked Miwa-kun for sometime now," whispered Minami  
  
who Kitsune saw was nervously twisting her bracelet. She stared at the nervous  
  
girl, quietly wondering who was more worried, Minami about being rejected, or her,  
  
about Minami being accepted by Miwa.  
  
"In fact, I joined the kendo club because of Miwa-kun." Minami looked  
  
up, straight into Miwa's eyes. "Will Miwa-kun go out with Minami?" Miwa's  
  
eyes softened, then he smiled a weak, subdued smile.  
  
"I think Mizuharu-san's really nice and pretty," he started, "but I already like  
  
someone else. Gomen nasai, Mizuharu-san. I can't date you knowing that I feel like  
  
that. Will you forgive me?"  
  
Minami smiled a little, trying to stop the tears which were building up from  
  
falling. "She must be a very pretty girl, whom Miwa-kun likes. Very pretty."  
  
"She is." Miwa replied, in a soft matter-of-fact manner. He reached into his pocket,  
  
then pulled out a handkerchief which he handed to Minami. She took it and dabbed  
  
at her eyes.  
  
"Arigato, Miwa-kun," she sighed, then continued. "She must be a very lucky girl,  
  
being liked by Miwa-kun, ne?"  
  
Kitsune could not believe her ears. Miwa turned down Minami! Feeling guilty  
  
at listening in, she quickly backtracked, and took a shortcut to the sakura tree.  
  
Her heart was thundering even louder as she leaned back on the sakura tree, trying  
  
to process everything that she heard. It was a very difficult task, with her emotions  
  
in turmoil, the most she could muster was hearing Miwa's words echo in her mind.  
  
She was definitely happy that Miwa didn't like Minami, but at the same time, she  
  
was confused. Miwa admitted he liked someone! Did this mean he liked someone  
  
else? Could it be her? Or could there still be another girl? She was still in this  
  
bewildered state of mind when Miwa arrived.  
  
"Kitsune, daijobou ka?" Miwa looked at her curiously.  
  
Trying hard to fight a creeping blush, she straightened and replied. "I'm all  
  
right, why?" Somehow, she couldn't look at Miwa straight in the eye. Not after  
  
what she overheard.  
  
"I don't know, well, you look kind of spaced out." Miwa sat beside her as he  
  
usually did, making Kitsune even more conscious of his presence. "Coach worked  
  
us too much today, I'm so pooped. And hungry too."  
  
"Us too," she quickly declared, "maybe that's why you thought I was spaced out."  
  
Inwardly, she sighed. 'Good save, girl!' she thought. "Because I'm really tired."  
  
"Hmmm... your coach overworked you too?" Miwa smiled. "We deserve a reward.  
  
Let's go eat then! I'm craving for cold soba! Come on, let's go." He stood up and  
  
brushed the seat of his pants.  
  
'It's now or never,' Kitsune thought.  
  
"But aren't we waiting for Minami-chan?" she asked, her heart beating wildly in  
  
her chest again. "Huh?" Miwa looked down to where she was sitting.  
  
"Mizuharu? Why? Did you agree to go home together?" He asked, a perplexed look  
  
on his face.  
  
"Iie," Kitsune felt a slow blush start to creep up her face, so she quickly  
  
stood up, and tried to hide her blush with the guise of brushing her skirt. "It's  
  
just that I thought you were dating her---"  
  
"I'm dating Mizuharu?" Miwa snorted. "She's a nice girl, but I don't like her."  
  
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I like her, but not like, like." Kitsune  
  
was confused. "Well, she's a nice person, I like her, but not the 'I like you, I  
  
want to spend the rest of my life with you' like. Do you get it?" She just stared  
  
at him in response. "Besides, I only date girls I really like."  
  
"So you're not dating her?"  
  
"I'm not. Come on, slow poke, I'm really hungry. I think I'll have some gyoza  
  
with my soba." He took her by the wrist and semi-dragged her along, not that she  
  
minded.  
  
"Chotto matte!" Kitsune stammered. "I don't have money with me right now, I  
  
didn't bring a bento so I had to buy lunch." Miwa looked back at her and smiled.  
  
"Kitsune no baka. You think I'd actually let a girl pay for food when we're out  
  
on a date?" Miwa looked away again and continued to drag her along.  
  
A very bright blush crept up on Kitsune's face, and this time, she made no effort  
  
to hide it.  
  
- end - 


	3. To Stay by Your Side

To Stay By Your Side  
  
Discaimer: I own these characters, nothing else...  
  
Kitsune lay under the sakura tree, trying to figure out what to do. She had serious problems, but then,  
  
she couldn't pin the blame on anyone else since it was her decision to go to Buckley.  
  
As a child, it was always Kitsune's dream to go to Buckley. Her father went there when he was young  
  
and he instilled the dream in Kitsune. She thought his early death would destroy the dream but luckily,  
  
a sports scholarship program came her way, letting her go to the prestigious school for free. She could  
  
study all throughout her senior high for free, as long as she played kendo, and that included  
  
board and lodging, food, and allowances. It was a great deal, but it came with a catch. That year, the  
  
only scholarship slot available was for the Boy's team.  
  
They all knew her as a boy.  
  
Her reverie was suddenly broken by a shrill shriek. Next thing she knew was pain, and an outburst of   
  
boisterous laughter. She quickly sat up cupping her nose protectively.  
  
"Gomenasai, Yuki-kun!" She looked up to find one of her classmates bowing low to her. Her  
  
face was flaming bright red when she looked up, and her eyes were teary. Kitsune almost wanted to  
  
hug the girl and tell her it's all right, but then, she can't, can she?  
  
"Daijobu desu, Nami-chan. I wasn't hurt at all, I was just surprised." She took the volleyball from  
  
beside her and handed it to the girl. "Go on with your game, and don't mind me, I'm really all  
  
right." She smiled slightly, trying to control her face from showing the pain she really felt. The girl  
  
bowed low again.  
  
"Gomen, Yuki-kun! It was my fault. I'll try to be more careful next time." And with that, the girl  
  
quickly rushed off to her teammates, head held down in embarrassment. Kitsune heard barely muffled  
  
laughter and traced the source of it to a boy standing four feet away from her. He grinned at her then  
  
quickly sat down beside her, much to her chagrin.  
  
"Gomen, Yuki-kun! It was my fault. I'll try to be more careful next time." The boy copied the  
  
retreating girl perfectly. "Man, Yuki ," the boy laughed, "you're really a ladies' man. You just  
  
broke that poor girl's heart!" Kitsune glared at the guy. Sometimes, she just can't understand Miwa.  
  
One minute he's so nice to her, the next, he's poking fun at her to the point that she wanted to slam  
  
his smug countenance with an anvil. A really solid iron anvil.  
  
On yeah, now that we're on the subject of Miwa, may I mention that not only is Miwa really  
  
incomprehensible, he's also Kitsune's roommate. Did I forget to mention that she lives in the Boy's  
  
Dorm? With the rest of the kendo team?  
  
"Will you stop laughing?" She glared at him, still holding her nose. "It hurts you know. Just because  
  
you have a stubborn unbreakable nose doesn't mean I can't have a delicate one." Miwa leaned  
  
to her and pulled her hand down, to inspect her nose. Kitsune supressed a fledgling blush. Despite  
  
living with this guy day in, and day out, there were still times when she became awfully aware that  
  
he's a guy. And being physically up-close with Miwa was always one of them.  
  
Miwa quickly got up, and dragged her to her feet. "Come on, let's get you an Ice Pack," he said then  
  
led her to the direction of the Nurses' Office. Ah, Miwa. What a conundrum. One minute an  
  
annoying brat, the next, a caring brother, and sometimes, a really cute sensitive guy. Kitsune  
  
quickly shook her head, trying to clear it of thoughts of him. It won't do to fall for him, not  
  
with her situation. She reminds herself about that, everyday, but somehow, with the way things are  
  
going, she's fighting hard to keep it up.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Miwa was waiting for her by her shoe locker that day. They usually had a break from practice on  
  
Wednesday afternoons, so they had to meet by the lockers before going home together. Despite his  
  
occassional obnoxiousness, Kitsune found Miwa really good company. He never failed to draw a   
  
smile from her, and his companionship was so uncomplicated. There were no strings attached at all.   
  
Probably because he thought she was a guy.  
  
"What do you say we get some ramen before we hit the dorms?" Miwa asked her as she opened her  
  
shoe locker. When he didn't get a response, he looked over to where she was looking. His eyes widened to   
  
saucers as he saw a scented pink envelope propped against her shoes. "Eh, another one?" InuYasha asked,  
  
then quickly, he grabbed the letter.  
  
"Hey, stop it!" She shouted, grabbing his shoulders before he could make a run for it. Miwa, being  
  
faster than her, dangled the pink letter out of her reach. "What is this, the sixth this month?" He teased her.  
  
There was a mad scuffle for the letter which ended in Kitsune's slipping. Miwa was quick to catch  
  
her by grabbing her by the shoulders, his face just mere inches away from hers. His eyes were sparkling  
  
and looked directly into hers, and it took all her will power to look away and steady herself. While  
  
Miwa was still off guard, she grabbed the letter from him.  
  
"Give me that." She glared at him, once again fighting the flush which was threatening to creep up her   
  
cheeks. Miwa smiled at her.  
  
"Hey, no need to get all heated up! I was only teasing you. Or is that one from THE special girl?" He  
  
smiled that annoying smile again. The one which reeked of smugness and arrogance that simply made her  
  
all the more aware that he was a guy, and a cute one at that.  
  
She quickly opened her locker, slipped on her outdoor shoes and crammed the letter in her book satchel.  
  
She pointedly ignored Miwa who was leaning against the shoe lockers.  
  
"You know how you're acting like?" He asked lazily, not really waiting for her to answer, but pausing  
  
nevertheless. "A girl." He said succintly, not budging from the lockers, while gauging her reaction.  
  
Kitsune glared at him, half-afraid at being revealed. He can be such an asshole sometimes, she thought.  
  
She leaned close to him, then slammed her fist on the locker door he was leaning on, right beside his face.  
  
"Screw you." She cursed, then turned on her heel and left.  
  
Miwa smiled a knowing smile, then thrust his hands in his pockets, and lazily trailed after her. His  
  
smile grew even wider as he seemed to deliberate on some secret thought going through his brain, as he  
  
followed Kitsune on the way home.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kitsune was already out of her school uniform and in a loose baseball jersey when she heard a few  
  
quick knocks on the door. She sighed, bidding the peace and quiet goodbye as the knock heralded the  
  
arrival of her boisterous roommate. 'Just like Miwa to forget his room keys,' she thought, as she rose to  
  
open the door. 'No point in remaining angry at him,' she figured. To her surprise though, it wasn't  
  
Miwa who was standing by her door, but on of her classmates, Shinichi.  
  
"Hey, Yuki!" Shinichi smiled, lifting a blue folder and a bag of burgers. "I heard you were pretty  
  
good at English. I've a practical exam tomorrow. If you'll tutor me tonight, I'll look upon it as a favor to be  
  
repaid." Kitsune pulled open the door and invited him in.   
  
"Well, it would be a pity to let those burgers go to waste," she gestured, ushering him to the heating table at  
  
the center of the room. "Besides, it might be a good idea to brush up on my english too, since I'm getting  
  
my practical exams next week. Make yourself comfortable," she told him, as she riffled through her study  
  
desk, trying to find the right book.  
  
"Hey, cool! I always wanted one of these." Shinichi said, making himself at home by the heating table.  
  
"Hey, where's your roommate? It's Miwa right?" He asked, as he began unpacking the burgers.  
  
"Ah, I don't know where that jerk is!" Kitsune took her English notes and sat beside Shinichi. "Probably  
  
traipsing after some poor girl who doesn't know any better." She fumed. Shinichi laughed.  
  
"Haha, another one of your fights huh? I hear it's getting quite famous in our class. One of the boys even   
  
remarked once that if you just weren't both guys, we'd start thinking you were boyfriend and girlfriend.  
  
Funny huh?" Shinichi laughed again, not knowing how dangerous the ground he was treading on was.  
  
Kitsune laughed along forcibly.  
  
"Shinichi-kun, where exactly do you need help?" Kitsune asked, trying to change the subject. Luckily,  
  
Shinichi thought nothing of it, and searched his notes. "Here, with this chapter," he pointed.  
  
They were well into the English lessons, when the door opened to allow a smiling Miwa in.  
  
"Yuki, I bought us some ramen-" Miwa was cut short when he saw Shinichi sitting close to  
  
Kitsune. An eyebrow immediately shot up.  
  
"Hey Miwa," Shinichi greeted him. "Hope you don't mind me crashing in your room. I've an English  
  
practical tomorrow, and Yuki's helping me out."  
  
"I don't mind." Miwa replied, putting the ramen he was carrying on the table. He sat there, and opened  
  
his ramen amidst all the notebooks and paper scattered. "Itadakimasu!" Unmindful of Shinichi and  
  
Kitsune, he started eating, slurping through the whole thing. Kitsune started giving him dagger stares  
  
but he just ignored her. Stray droplets of soup were splashing on the table, and occasionally, even little  
  
flying noodles. He was just starting on the second one when Kitsune stopped him.  
  
"Hey, I thought that one was mine!" Kitsune exclaimed, unprepared to sit through Miwa slurping   
  
down another bowl of ramen.   
  
"Nah, I changed my mind. I'm still hungry," he exclaimed, then got ready to commence the annoying  
  
slurping again. Kitsune started counting to ten, unwilling to lash out at Miwa, when Shinichi   
  
closed his notebook.  
  
"I'm ready to call it a night, Yuki-kun. I think I'm ready for my practicals." He said, despite  
  
having covered only two thirds of the exam material. He stood and headed for the door. "Thanks a lot, you  
  
sure helped plenty."  
  
"No prob, Shinichi, glad to be of help." Kitsune walked to the door. "Let me know how you do."   
  
"I will." He said, then turned on his heel and left. As soon as the door closed, Kitsune turned to face a  
  
suddenly quiet Miwa. "What, pray tell, was that all about?" She glared at him.  
  
"He was in my room. I wanted to relax. I can't relax when there's someone else in here." He replied, peeling  
  
off his uniform jacket.  
  
"So you had to be a total ass?" She said, still annoyed at his atrocious behavior.  
  
"I wasn't a total ass. An ass, yes, but not a total ass." He stood and headed for the bathroom. "Besides, I did  
  
get the job done." He winked at her. In spite of herself, Kitsune had to smile. Miwa can get away   
  
with anything, with that charming smile of his. "Hey, have the rest of that ramen, it's for you anyway."  
  
Kitsune sighed and stared at the ramen. She took a fresh pair of chopsticks and started eating. She had  
  
just taken a few bites when Miwa came out of the bathroom in just his pajama bottoms. "Hey,  
  
Yuki, who was today's love letter sender?" He asked mischievously, as he rummaged through his  
  
closet for a shirt.  
  
"Some girl," she mumbled, quick to look away. Kitsune had seen Miwa with his shirt off a lot of  
  
times, but still, she can't help but be affected. Rigid training with the kendo team had sculpted Miwa's  
  
torso into a muscular leanness, and many times, she had to stop herself from thinking sensual thoughts  
  
about it. One of the temptations of living with a cute guy.  
  
"Is she cute?" InuYasha asked, his back still turned to her.  
  
"How should I know?" replied Kitsune, hiding her blush under the ramen.  
  
"How should you know? How should you know?" Miwa turned to face her, exasperatedly waving his  
  
shirt. "Don't you care about girls at all? How are you going to get a girlfriend? Are you gay or something?"  
  
"I AM NOT GAY!" she shouted, looking up from the ramen. Miwa smiled at her.  
  
"If you say so." He said, smiling that knowing smile again. He slipped his shirt on then headed to his bed, a  
  
manga in tow. Kitsune stared at his retreating back, feeling silly at her outburst. Sometimes, she can't  
  
help but wonder whether Miwa knows more than he lets on.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kitsune and the rest of the kendo team were on their way back to the dorms, jubilant in their entry into  
  
the Nationals. They had just come from celebrating in karaoke, when Miwa pulled her aside.  
  
"Hey, do you mind if we have some of the guys over in our room? You know, so we can celebrate some  
  
more?" He asked. Kitsune, also still ecstatic from the win, immediately responded.  
  
"Sure, why not? We deserve to celebrate!" InuYasha smiled back.  
  
"Great!" He cleared his throat. "Guys, post-party party, my room! Yuki'll let you in, I'll go buy  
  
some refreshments." He announced, then dashed off, dragging along their fellow team member Kei  
  
with him.  
  
Kitsune and the guys who opted to go were laughing their heads off with silly jokes, when Miwa  
  
returned with Kei, carrying big plastic bags.  
  
"What did you guys get?" Asked Naota, ripping the bags open. To their surprise, out came cans of  
  
beer.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing? BAKA! We can't go drinking, we're underage! We're in a school  
  
dorm! We might get caught! They'll punish us!" Miwa just smiled at her and gestured to the others.  
  
She was shocked when she saw that they all had beer cans in hand already. Kei threw one at   
  
Kitsune.  
  
"Lighten up, Yuki," said Kei, who was already opening his can. "We just got into the  
  
National Championships. Wasn't that our goal? We have to celebrate!"  
  
"B-b-but we might get drunk! Sensei-" Kitsune replied, only to be cut off by Naota.  
  
"We don't have class tomorrow. Neither do we have practice, for once. So what if we get drunk? We can  
  
sleep it off!" Naota took a long pull from his beer can. Kitsune looked at the rest of the team   
  
defeatedly.  
  
"Well, since you put it that way...." she said. Miwa slapped her on the back.  
  
"That's the spirit, Yuki!" He took her unopened beer can and handed her a newly opened one.  
  
"You start! Just don't tell Benito-sempai." He said, grinning largely at her. Kitsune took a   
  
tentative sip.  
  
"Eaugh! This is so bitter! Why do you guys drink this?" The rest of the team laughed at her.  
  
"To celebrate! Whoever drank beer because it tasted good?" Kei raised his beer can. "Kampai!"  
  
The rest of the team followed suit and raised their beer cans too.  
  
"Kampai! On to the Nationals!"  
  
Everything proceeded in the same light vein. They talked about the upcoming competitions; they discussed  
  
the schools which could pose a threat. They jokingly complained about the coach's strict training regimen.   
  
By the time they were through celebrating, most were too soused with beer and the excitement about the   
  
Nationals to walk straight.   
  
Of course Miwa was no exception. By the time everyone had left, Miwa was sprawled facedown   
  
on the floor while Kitsune was dying to climb into bed. She poked Miwa's side with her toe, in an  
  
effort to wake him up and make him move to his bed. The most she got was drunken mumbling.  
  
"Oi, Miwa!" Kitsune squatted beside her unconscious roommate. "Oi, wake up! Move to your bed."   
  
She tried to shake him awake but to no avail. Mumbling to herself, she pushed him on his back, and then   
  
slapped his cheeks lightly. "Hey, Miwa...."  
  
Deciding that there was no chance he'd wake up, she took it upon herself to move him to his bunk. Just as   
  
she was laying him on his bed, he stirred and raised his arms. To her shock, Miwa pulled her down and   
  
kissed her! On the lips! While being asleep the whole time! Kitsune quickly tried to pull back, but was   
  
met with resistance. Miwa refused to let her go! And he was pulling her down next to him. She  
  
struggled but since he was much stronger, it was a futile effort. Miwa had her locked in his arms! She   
  
found herself being caught in his embrace, and truthfully, she didn't find it too horrible.  
  
'Snap out of it!' she quickly told herself. She peeled Miwa's arms from her, and after a few attempts,  
  
she was successful. As fast as she possibly could, she climbed up to the top bunk and wrapped her blankets   
  
around herself. Despite freeing herself from his arms though, she realized she could not free her thoughts of   
  
him. Her body still tingled from the warmth emanating from his body as he hugged her, and the softness of   
  
his lips as he kissed. She touched her lips where it met his, and found herself blushing. 'Did it really   
  
happen?' she asked.   
  
At the bunk below, a pair of eyes slowly opened and looked up at the bottom of the bunk above him. A   
  
small smile crept up on Miwa's face, and a wistful expression that hovered, and then remained. A few  
  
moments later, he closed his eyes once more, and shifted, grabbing his blankets and tightly cocooning   
  
himself in them, a peaceful smile planted on his usually playful face.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Benito went up to the front of the classroom and cleared his throat. Automatically, the whole swimming  
  
club paid attention. He always had that ability, to control the team with a simple gesture. Maybe it was his   
  
responsible air, or his leader aura. Or maybe he was just plain scary.  
  
"Now that I have your attention," he said, his authoritative voice quietly booming through the borrowed   
  
classroom. "May I remind you all that the Cultural Festival is in three weeks? I'm cutting our team   
  
practices down to two a week so we can prepare for the festival, but what do you guys suggest that we do?"  
  
The room was abuzz with excited whispering. Practices down to two a week? And they'll get to have fun  
  
with a Festival activity?  
  
"Let's just do a kendo demo," someone suggested.  
  
"NO MORE KENDO!" the whole group chortled.  
  
"A food booth!" Kei suggested. Everyone laughed of course. Kei's appetite was a big joke  
  
among the club.   
  
"And who's going to cook?" Naota countered, to which everyone agreed. "Uhm, actually, if you  
  
guys would like to try something new, I have a suggestion. My cousin studied in the States and she told me  
  
about this fun fair she went to once. It had a Marriage Booth."  
  
"A what?" Miwa asked. Everyone's interest was piqued.  
  
"Well, a Marriage Booth. Basically, we pair people up then pretend to have a wedding ceremony. Maybe a  
  
western one so it'd be even more interesting. After that, they sign a wedding log, then we charge them a   
  
wedding fee, regardless of whether the couple is willing or not. If they refuse to pay, we keep them tied up   
  
in the booth for the rest of the day. It's great fun, my cousin said, since they have to chase after unwilling   
  
people. A lot of times though, some of the students themselves arrange to have be paired with the one they   
  
like secretly, and just pretend that it's against their will. The girls will probably get a kick out of this."   
  
Naota explained.  
  
Evil grins sprouted on a lot of the team members' faces. The words fun, chase, unwilling and fee echoed in  
  
their brains and before Benito could even start a formal vote, they all knew that Naota's   
  
Wedding Booth idea was a winner.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Remind me again why I have to wear this?" Benito asked. The team members were forcing him  
  
into a long cassock.  
  
"Because as Team Captain, you're the one with vested authority to marry people off!" Naota joked.   
  
"Besides, you're the only one with a poker face to pull this one off." Miwa entered the room in a tux.   
  
"Why can't I wear that instead?" Benito asked, pointing to Miwa.   
  
"Will you make him stop?" Naota beseeched Miwa. "I've been repeating myself all week!"  
  
"But this feels like a skirt!" Benito said.   
  
"Hey," Kei admonished. "You're lucky you only have to wear something which feels like a skirt.  
  
Remember how you guys all coerced Yuki in THAT dress? How do you think he feels?" With   
  
that statement, Benito piped down. He'd rather be in something which looks like a dress, than an   
  
actual dress.  
  
"Where is Yuki anyway?" asked Miwa. To his surprise, a white bundle of cloth barely  
  
squeaked, "Here!" Miwa's eyes widened at the bundle.  
  
"Yuki? What is that? Is that Naota's idea of a dress?"  
  
"No, baka. He refuses to come out of the blankets." Naota replied, straightening Benito's   
  
sleeves. "I dunno why though, I think he looks just like a girl in the dress. Or maybe that's why he refuses  
  
to come out."  
  
'Idiot! I'm scared of being discovered!' Kitsune thought. Aloud though, Kitsune could only   
  
complain. "Why do I have to be in a dress anyway? Who needs bridesmaids? And why couldn't we have  
  
gotten a real girl?" she lamented.  
  
"Because all the girls I asked are busy with other club activities. And the girls' kendo team has their own  
  
presentation to mind." Naota exasperatedly said. "You're just as bad as sempai here, when it comes  
  
to complaining!"  
  
"Besides, take one for the team, Yuki!" Miwa teased. Kitsune glared. Well, at least tried  
  
to glare. Deep inside, she was enjoying staring at InuYasha. He looked so handsome in his tux. The tux fit  
  
him perfectly, and the way he moved in it was so confident that he easily looked right at place, despite the  
  
fact that everyone else, with the exception of Benito in his minister's garb, and Kitsune in her   
  
blankets, was in casual clothes.   
  
Tearing her glare-stare from Miwa, Kitsune, bundled up and all, trudged to the covered booth,  
  
leaving all the others behind. The rest of the team set aside a corner of the room and draped it with  
  
blanket walls to create a 'chapel-booth.' She entered the empty booth, and took a seat. Inside, her emotions   
  
were slugging it out. On one hand, she was sort of happy, being in a dress again. It was one of her prettiest   
  
outfits, a calf-length floral sundress, with thin ribbon shoulder straps, and strappy flat sandals, which she   
  
passed off as something she borrowed from a cousin. It felt great to be a girl again. And she didn't have to   
  
wear that binding vest she usually wore to hide her chest.  
  
On the other hand though, there was that niggling fear that she'll be discovered. Her dress seemed filled out   
  
just right, now that she thought about it, and she might have a hard time passing off her chest as wadded up   
  
tissues. She just looked way too girly in that dress, and not at all like a cross-dressing guy as she was   
  
supposed to be right now.  
  
Just then, Miwa lifted the curtain entrance, which covered the booth and entered with the box of toy  
  
rings they were using for the 'ceremonies'. "Still in your blankets?" he asked, as he put box down and took  
  
a seat beside her. "Come on, you can't stay in those blankets for the whole day! People will think that  
  
you're some sort of wedding pudding instead of a bridesmaid," Miwa tugged at her blanket.  
  
Kitsune sighed.  
  
"I'd rather be a wedding pudding than be called a transvestite," she replied.  
  
"You? A transvestite? I wouldn't go that far. With your build and features, you can easily pass as a girl." He  
  
said, still tugging on the blanket. "Besides, you'll have to take off this blanket eventually. Or are you  
  
worried about losing your fan girls?"  
  
"Fan girls?" Kitsune laughed dryly. "That's one thing I'd be glad to get rid of. I guess you're right,  
  
though. No point in me sweating under this thing." She stood, then started pulling off the blanket. "But  
  
don't laugh," she glared. "I hear one chuckle out of you, and YOU'LL be the one wearing this dress  
  
tomorrow."  
  
Miwa raised his pinky. "Yakusoku. No laughing." Kitsune slipped her blanket off to reveal the  
  
bright, pretty sundress. In her embarrassment though, she didn't catch the split-second look of astonishment  
  
and sincere admiration on Miwa's face.  
  
"Well, partner!" Miwa stood and offered his arm. "You look fine, if I do say so myself."  
  
In gratitude for his not teasing her, she gamely slipped her arm in his. Benito entered the booth, and   
  
took his place behind his make-shift podium while Kitsune and Miwa took their places on chairs   
  
beside the podium, all awaiting the first victims, whether willing or struggling, of the Kendo Club Marriage   
  
Booth.  
  
* * * * *  
  
It was a hot, busy afternoon and for once, Kitsune was happy that she was in a strappy sleeved dress.  
  
The Wedding Booth was a hit, especially with the girls. They kept cornering members of the kendo team   
  
and pointing out their crushes so they could be paired up. Even the team members were almost not spared,   
  
as their fan girls tried to get ahold of them. Good thing Benito put his foot down and ruled out that   
  
team members on duty cannot be 'captured,' a ruling which disappointed a lot of girls, especially   
  
Miwa's fans.  
  
Benito called for a break, and the whole team happily plopped down on chairs surrounding the booth.  
  
"Put it here, Naota!" Kei high-fived Naota. "Your idea's a success! We now have  
  
adequate funds for new equipment. Or maybe we can have a team vacation."  
  
"Well, I'm so tired, but the booth's success is worth it." Naota loosened his collar. "All that running  
  
around after everyone...it's even more strenuous than training!"   
  
"Yeah, I'm ready to fall into bed." Kei announced. "I don't know what's worse though, running  
  
around all day, or being forced to sit around in a pretty dress," he smiled at Kitsune's direction.  
  
"You should've seen his fan girls," Naota piped up, referring to the hordes of girls who regularly  
  
cheered Kitsune's matches. "They were all ogling him with shock. Never occurred to them that he could  
  
be prettier than all of them," Naota laughed.  
  
"Yeah," Kei added. "Even some of the our sempai were asking where we got our bridesmaid.  
  
Imagine their shock when they realized it was Yuki. Heck, some of them wanted to be paired up  
  
with him at first, before they found out. We should've let them!" Everyone laughed. Kitsune's face was  
  
burning red from all of the teasing, but all that couldn't have prepared her for what was going to happen  
  
next.  
  
"But why not?" Miwa asked, oblivious to the grave he was digging beneath his feet. "Look at him!  
  
He's really pretty, I wouldn't mind..." Evil glimmers appeared in the kendo team members' eyes. Before  
  
InuYasha could even finish, he was bound and dragged to the Marriage Booth. With Kitsune of course.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kitsune opened her closet and grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. She headed to the bathroom to  
  
change, pointedly ignoring Miwa the whole while.   
  
"Look, I'm sorry!" Miwa apologized, trailing after her. "How was I to know those guys would  
  
victimize us?"  
  
Kitsune glared at him. "If you had been more careful with your statements," she started. "Ah, never   
  
mind!" she turned her back to him again, her hand resting on the bathroom door knob.  
  
"Come on, it was done in the spirit of fun! Besides," Miwa's voice lowered a bit. "I did mean it."  
  
Kitsune was incensed! How dare Miwa make fun of her! She spun on her heel, only to find out that  
  
InuYasha was right in front of her, a bit too close for comfort. Instead of flaring in anger, she was taken   
  
aback by his discomfiting gaze.   
  
He leaned closer, til she could almost feel his warm breath grazing her skin.  
  
"I SAID, 'I meant it'," he repeated, stressing every word heavily. "I meant it then, and I still mean it now."   
  
Kitsune could not move, with Miwa closing in. He slammed his arms on the wall, pinning her  
  
between them.   
  
"I thought you were very pretty earlier. No, I take that back. You are beautiful." Kitsune was panicking;  
  
she didn't know how to react. Here she was, trapped in the arms of the guy she was in love with,  
  
speechless.  
  
"Uhm, Miwa," she tried to push him away but he refused to budge. "Stop it Miwa! Quit it, I'll   
  
start thinking you're gay or something!" she said, chuckling nervously, trying to pass off what was  
  
happening as a joke.  
  
"No I'm not," he replied, leaning even closer. "And you know it," he added, as his lips descended on hers.  
  
* * * * *  
  
As the intial shock of his kiss died down, Kitsune closed her eyes, and lost herself in the moment. She  
  
refused to think of what this means, of how it could drastically affect her future in Buckley. How it   
  
possible that Miwa was just making fun of her, and how she could be hurt. All she could think about  
  
was the now, lost in Miwa's kiss, him being so near that she could hear his own heart beat.  
  
Gently, she felt Miwa pull away, and as she opened her eyes, she could see his brown eyes gazing at  
  
her tenderly. It was not the gaze of one playing a mean trick. It was a loving gaze, and she knew then that   
  
Miwa could not possibly break her heart.  
  
"How-" she started to ask only to be stopped by Miwa pressing his fingertips on her lips to silence   
  
her.  
  
"I knew from before Buckley."   
  
Kitsune's eyes widened. She could not believe what she was hearing. "What did you say?"  
  
"I know, Kitsune," he said, putting emphasis on her name. Her real name. "Will you let me explain?" he   
  
asked. Still unable to believe it, she simply nodded. He then led her to the low table in the middle of their   
  
room.  
  
"I saw one of your kendo matches in Junior High. I was there to watch a cousin's team play, when I saw  
  
your match. At that time, kendo was beginning to bore me. Sure, I was good, but then, there were a lot of   
  
others who were better than me. I thought I'd be better off with other sports." Miwa smiled faintly.   
  
"But watching you, I couldn't help but be astonished. You were losing, your opponent's lead was so large  
  
that I didn't believe you'd win. But then, you suddenly got this look on your face and your game took a  
  
turnaround. You played with such renewed vigor, with such focused intensity that I couldn't help but   
  
admire you. I never could play like that. And then you went on to tie the game. If only you went on and   
  
won, it would've been a dream game. I wanted to speak to you after the game, but I couldn't find you. And   
  
I never did see you again. Until kendo practice."  
  
"I...my...my father just died then," she said quietly. "He was my kendo coach. That was my first game after   
  
he died, so I really didn't want to play, my school was just forcing me. I was throwing the game, but I  
  
suddenly, I saw his face in my mind, and I knew he wouldn't have wanted to see me play at less than a   
  
100%. Yes, I lost then, but after giving more than a 100% those last few minutes, I felt like a winner   
  
already.   
  
"Our school got eliminated, so I stopped kendo for a while, but it was never far from my thoughts. So when  
  
I found out about the scholarship, I grabbed it... not knowing it was a male scholarship. But I wanted  
  
to go to Buckley so bad, because of my father, so here I am." She smiled wistfully. "But then, now that you   
  
know, I guess my cover's blown. I just don't know how the rest of the guys will react when they find out-"  
  
Miwa quickly wrapped her in his arms. "Do you think I'm letting you go?" He buried his face in her   
  
hair, hiding his pained expression. "Not after finally finding you. You're not leaving my side. I love you,   
  
Kitsune." He pulled back to face her. "Is it too much to ask that you stay by my side?"  
  
Kitsune stared at Miwa, gentleness and longing flooding his face. Her heart leapt at the realization   
  
that he loved her. She smiled and slid her hand under his chin.   
  
She pulled him closer to her as she leaned forward. "No, it's not too much to ask," she replied, right before   
  
she sealed the request with a kiss.  
  
-end- 


End file.
